Writing-desk



A. L. HOWE.

WRITING DESK.

APPLICATION man NOV. 1-. 1920.

Patented July 19, 1921.

M M w UNITED res PATENT oFFicE.

ALBERT LOVEL HOWE, OF ALLOA, SCOTLAND, ASSIG-NOR TO WILLIAM ANGUS & COM- PANY (SCOTLAND) LIMITED, 013 MENSTRIE, NORTH BRITAIN.

WRITING-DESK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 19, 1921.

Application filed November 1, 1920. SerialNo. 420,942.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT LOVEL Howe, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at Alloa, Clackmannanshire, Scot land, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in WVriting-Desks, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to writing desks of the type usually known as roll top desks. A typical roll top desk, as at present commonly known, comprises a suitably supported writing bed having side wings arranged at the ends thereof and a number of pigeon holes or other receptacles located at the back thereof, a flexible curtain being housed in the body of the desk and adapted to be drawn out along guides arranged in the side wings to prevent access to the writing bed and pigeon hole, or other receptacles.

Such desks have heretofore been proposed each having the side wings fixed and the writing bed slidably mounted on the support so as to be capable of being pulled forward to increase the effective width of same while others have been constructed each having the writing bed fixed and the side wings mounted so that they can be dropped or turned down into the plane of the writing bed so as to increase the effective length of the latter but hitherto owing to structural difficulties, chiefly in connection with the housing of the flexible curtain, it has been impracticable to embodyboth slidable writing bed and drop wings in a single roll top desk. I

. According to the present invention these difficulties are overcome and each desk'is provided with both slidable writing bed and drop wings so that, when desired, the writing bed may be increased in both length and breadth. The desk may be used as an ordinary roll top desk without making use of the extensible features but these features may be utilized to give an increased surface when such is desired. The sliding bed and drop wings may be independently movable or the drop wings may be attached directly to the sliding bed. lnthe formercase the functions of the bed and wings may be utilized independently or conjointly and means may be provided to prevent accidental displacement of the writing bed when in its extended position while in the latter case the wings slide outward simultaneously with the extending of the writing bed and, on being usual stand or support l and back 2, the

former carrying drawers or the like and the latter having pigeon holes or other receptacles formed thereon. The writing bed 3 is laterally slidable and has beveled guides 1 on the underside thereof which engage complementary guides 5 on the stand 1 while the rear portion thereof is adapted to slide in a gap or recess 6 between the stand 1 and the pigeon hole or other receptacles in the back 2. Mounted on the underside of the writing bed 3 is buffer or stop 7 which may be integral with, or attached to, the slide 4 and has resilient studs 8 in opposite ends thereof which are adapted to co-act with stops 9 on the stand 1 to limit the extent of movement of the bed 3.

, The side wings 10 are hingedly secured to the writing bed 3, preferably by means of center hinges such as 11, and have the usual slots or guides 12 formed therein while the rear portions thereof are adapted to slide in slots 13 formed in opposite ends of the back 2 and lined with felt or other suitable material. Located at the back of'the slots 13 and extending the full height thereof are stops 'lthaving projecting dowels 15 thereon and slots or guides 16 therein. These stops act as continuations. of the wings 10 when the latter are pushed in to the maximum extent and the slots 16 act as continuations of the 9 slots 12, the dowels 15 engaging sockets 17 in the wings 10 and servingto prevent disalinement ofthe slots 12 and 16.

A flexible lathe curtain 18 is housed in the back 2, around the pigeon hole recepthe curtain and having studs or projections 23 thereon adapted to engage the guides 12 while the latter is adapted to co-act with a stop piece 24: on the back 2 to prevent complete withdrawal of the curtain 18. Means are provided for locking the slat 21 to the writing bed 3 when the desk is closed and the curtain is lowered.

When the curtain 18 is raised the desk is similar to a roll top desk of the ordinary well known type and may be used as such for all ordinary purposes. If, however, an increased writing surface is desired, the bed 3 may be pulled out until stopped by the stud 8 on the forward side of the buffer 7 encountering the forward stop 9, when the wings 10 may be dropped, thus increasing the writing surface in breadth and length. The wings 10 when dropped serve also to prevent accidental displacement of the v 1. A writing desk comprising, in combination,- a support, a back located above and in rear of said support, a writing bed mounted on the support so as to be capable of being pulled forward to increase) the eifective :width thereof, side wings located at opposite ends of the support and adapted to be turned down to increase the effective width of the writing bed and a flexible curtain housed in the back and adapted to be pulled forward over the writing bed.

2. A writing desk comprising, in combination, a support, a back located above and in 'rear of said support and having a horizontal slot therein, a writing bed slidably mounted on said support and adapted to be partially housed in said slot, side wings adapted to be turned downeto increase the effective length of the writing bed and a flexible curtain housed in the back and adapted to be pulled forward over the writing bed. i v

4 3. A writing desk comprising, in combination, a support, a back located above and in rear of said support and having horizontal and vertical slots therein, a writing bed slidably mounted on said support and partially housed in said horizontal slot, side wings hingeably secured to the writing bed and adapted to be partially housed in said vertical slots and a flexible curtain housed in the back and adapted to be pulled forward over the writing bed.

4. A writing desk comprising, in combination, a support, a back located above and in rear of said support and having horizontal and vertical slots thereln, a writing bed slidably mounted on said support and par- 'tially housed in said horizontal slot, means for preventing complete withdrawal of said writing bed from said slot, side wings hingeably secured to the writing bediand adapted to be partially housed in said vertical slots and a flexible curtain housed'in the back and adapted to be pulled forward over the writing bed.

'5. A writing desk comprising, in combination, a support, a back located above and in rear of said support, a writing bed slidably mounted on said support, side wings located at opposite ends of the support and adapted to be turned down to increase the effective length of the writing bed and having grooves therein, a flexible curtain housed in said back and adapted to slide in the grooves in the side wings and fingers located in said back and adapted to support the curtain when the side wings are turned down. 7 ii p 6. A writing desk comprising, invcombination, a support, a back located above and in rear of said support and having horizontal and vertical slots therein, a writing bed slidably mounted on said support and partially housed in said horizontal slot, side wings hingeably secured to the writing bed and adapted to be partially housed in said vertical slots and having grooves therein, a flexible curtain housed in said back and adapted to slide in the grooves in said side wings, and fingers located in said back and adapted to support the curtain when said side wings are withdrawn from said vertical slots.

7. A writing desk comprising, in combination, a support, a back located above andin rear of said support and having horizontal and vertical slots therein, a writing bed slidably mounted on said support and partially housed in said horizontal slot, meansfor preventing complete withdrawal of said writing bed from said slot, side wings hingeably secured to the writing bedand adapted to slide in said vertical slots and having grooves therein, a flexible curtain housedin said back and'adapted to slide in said slots in the side wings, means for preventing complete withdrawal of said curtainfrom said back and fingers in said back adapted to support the ends of the curtain when the side wings are withdrawn from the vertical Witnesses:

MARY GREEN, AGNES GILMOUR.

ALB RT-LovELHowE. a 

